Queen Sacrifice
by Shakespeare's Lemonade
Summary: The new member of Five-0 seems too good to be true. She's friendly, works hard, and gets along with everyone. But that's only the first impression. She has a lot of secrets, and while Steve finds her fascinating, there is a problem: she may or may not be involved with Wo Fat. Steve/OC. Rated T for violence, mild language, and mild adult themes later. Cover art coming soon.
1. Prologue

"Queen Sacrifice"

Shakespeare's Lemonade

Rating: T for action violence, mild language, and some adult themes

Genre: Adventure/Mystery/Romance

Summary: Lori's replacement seems too good to be true. She's friendly, works hard, and gets along with everyone. But that's only the first impression. She has a lot of secrets. While Steve finds her fascinating, there is a problem: she may or may not be involved with Wo Fat.

Pairings: Steve/OC, Chin/Malia, others TBA

A/N: This story takes place after Lori leaves the show but before Steve catches Wo Fat. It's a little different from the kind of stories I normally write, but I hope it is still enjoyable for my usual readers as well as any new ones.

_**In chess, a queen sacrifice is the deliberate sacrifice of a queen in order to gain a more favorable tactical position.**_

_Prologue_

They didn't think things would just go back to normal when the governor fired Lori. No one liked to expect another unwanted team member, but Steve was determined to be prepared for the possibility. And maybe it would be better since the whole team was back together this time. They wouldn't have to go weeks thinking the new recruit was there to replace one of them.

Lori's replacement showed up a few months after her departure. The first impression anyone had was a name on a file.

"Lane Ahearn?" Danny said. "Sounds... Irish."

Steve gave him a look. A look that said _I'm pissed about having another babysitter, and you're not making it easier._

"Hey, look on the bright side." Danny spread his arms. "This one probably won't have a crush on you."

Steve's expression only got worse, a mix between annoyance and disbelief that Danny would even bring up such a thing.

"Oh, come on. I knew even before you told me. Everyone knew. Not that it matters."

"Can you stop talking? Just once?" Steve stared at Danny for a long moment. Then his phone rang.

They didn't have time to look into the file of Lane Ahearn any further because they were called to a case. It was unfortunate because they were supposed to meet their new teammate later that day, and Steve wanted to be prepared. He hoped he would get a chance to look over the file at lunch or something.

That didn't happen. They ended up being busy all day, and by the time the team got back to the Palace that evening, there was an unfamiliar black Shelby Mustang in the parking lot.

"Least he's got good taste in cars," Danny said as he and Steve headed inside.

"Yeah, that's exactly what you look for in someone you have to trust with your life." Steve didn't make eye contact as they ascended the stairs. Chin and Kono followed behind them.

"You know, not everyone's purpose in life is to make you miserable," Danny said. "Give him a chance."

Steve made no reply, and the four of them entered the Five-0 office. Standing next to the table was a woman who could only fairly be called short. Her long, curly brown hair obscured her face from the others' view at first. She was looking around the room, and didn't notice them until they had almost reached her. As she turned around, her wide smile reached her blue-green eyes and wrinkled her freckles. She held out her hand to Steve.

"Lane Ahearn, at your service, Sir," she said. "You must be Commander McGarrett."

Steve shook her hand. "Yeah, that's me. You're..."

"What? Didn't you read my file?" She realized quickly that no one had by their confused stares. "Sorry. I didn't think there would be any issues if you knew who I was ahead of time."

"We had a busy day," Steve recovered quickly. "I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to familiarize myself with your background earlier."

"Not a problem." Lane shrugged. "Here I am, in any case."

Steve nodded. "Why don't we talk in my office?"

"Of course. Lead the way, Sir."

Steve made sure to grab her file off the table before crossing the room into his office. Lane remained in an "at attention" posture almost. Steve guessed she was ex-military before opening the file. Turned out there was even more interesting information to be had.

Steve sat behind his desk and waved at the other chair. "You graduated from the University of Washington, ROTC, Army..."

Steve nodded. "Yes, Sir. Twelve years serving my country was probably the best thing I ever did."

"So coming here, did you decide you wanted something a bit slower?" Steve smirked.

"Something like that. My younger brother lives here as well. It's a long way from anywhere I was stationed before."

Steve nodded. "That it is." He closed the file. "So, I'm sure the governor has already briefed you, told you that you work for him and not me."

"There was some mention of that. I'm not entirely sure how the chain of command is supposed to stay intact with rules like that, but, hey, I'm new here."

"Obviously, he's not too concerned if he hired someone so... much like me. At least compared to everyone else around here."

Lane smiled. "I made some good Navy friends while I was in the service."

"Maybe I'm an optimist, but I think this should work out fine." Steve stood up.

Lane followed suit. "Glad you think so, Sir."

"It's Steve. Your office should be ready over here." Steve headed for the door and led the way back out into the main room. The other three were still standing there waiting for them. They could tell by the lack of a "look" on Steve's face that first impressions had gone well.

Steve introduced Lane to all of them. "Danny's the only one who bites." He smirked.

Danny ignored him. "You have a very nice car."

"Oh, thanks." Lane looked like she might be blushing. "It's actually my brother's. He's letting me use it for now."

"Then your brother has good taste."

"Yeah. He wants me to buy it from him so he can upgrade to something I've never heard of."

Kono laughed. "Sounds like some of the people in my family, always getting new cars."

"Nothing wrong with that." Chin nodded.

Lane smiled. "Glad I make a good first impression."

Danny gestured with one hand. "Well, my first impression was that you were a dude, but..."

"You know, I've heard that before, actually."

"Oh? And here I thought I was being profoundly original."

"Sorry. But I'll give you the credit for being the first person to say it quite that way."

Steve stood back from the group a little, watching how Lane interacted with the team. No red flags yet. He hoped it would stay that way. Still, she was the governor's spy, for lack of a better word. She would always be on the outside whether they wanted her to be or not.

It was a difficult place to be because Steve was inclined to like Lane. It may have been her military experience or her accommodating nature. Or maybe something else he couldn't quite put his finger on yet.

As she went to set up her new office, and Chin and Kono left for the night, Danny approached Steve. He didn't say anything at first. He just watched Steve watch Lane through the glass wall.

"Think it might work this time?" Danny crossed his arms.

"Define 'work'."

"I mean, she'll fit in and the governor won't fire her."

"I'm afraid if she does, he will. Lori was fired because she took my side."

"Well, yeah, but she wasn't exactly being rational."

"True. Maybe it will work out. She seems well suited."

Danny snorted. "Well suited? She's like a much nicer version of you."

"What?" Steve turned to face his friend.

"Obviously ex-military. Not cargo pants, but khakis. And the way she walks."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me she isn't some super soldier or former spy or something."

"She was an Army officer until last year, but that's not the same thing."

"Ha! I was right. We are all gonna die, just so you know. A blaze of glory. Courtesy of you and the oddly named G.I. Jane."

"Shut up."


	2. When Push Comes to Shoot

**Thanks for all the comments on this story. I love to hear from you guys. This will be the only story I update this week since I'm going out of town tomorrow, but I'll try to have something for you next week.  
**

**Chapter One "When Push Comes to Shoot"**

"What. The hell. Was that?" Danny stood over Lane, watching her cuff the unconscious suspect on the ground. Their other perp was lying on a pool of his own blood across the alley, clearly dead.

Lane looked up at him. Her eyebrows knit together. "What was what?"

"The epic take down. Didn't know you had it in you." Danny crossed his arms.

"Guy drew on me." Lane nodded at the body with the gun lying beside it. "And this one—" She rolled him to the side to check that he was in fact still alive. "—came at me with that 2x4." The bloody board was leaning against a pile of garbage bags next to the Dumpster.

"So you thought you'd use his weapon of choice against him?"

"Seemed the most efficient way." Lane stood up and rested her hands on her hips. "Think I got splinters. Where's Steve?"

"Went after the other guy. Probably still running, knowing how he likes to drag these things out."

Danny and Lane were in the alley behind a popular Korean restaurant where they had tracked down their latest suspects. They had gone in with Steve and seen the three men sitting at a table, but the were spotted and had to give chase. Lane was faster, or possibly more energetic, than Danny, so she reached both of their targets first. She took care of them very quickly.

Steve's guy had gone the other direction, so they didn't know where he was until he came back, dragging along a very unhappy man in handcuffs.

"I'd say I did better than you two," he said. "Mine's still standing at least."

The suspect had a bloody lip, and Steve looked like he was sporting a new bruise under his right eye.

"Blame the new girl." Danny waved at Lane. "They were like this when I got here."

Steve smirked and said, very seriously, "Nice Job."

"Yeah." Danny checked the safety on his gun and put it back in its holster. Then he smiled and looked at Steve. "Do I get to tell Captain Awesome to book 'em, now?"

Lane cleared her throat. "It's Major Awesome."

"Seriously?"

Lane shrugged.

"That's not as catchy."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." Steve pushed the suspect toward Danny. "Book 'em, Danno."

**H-5-O**

Back at the Palace, Chin and Kono were running background on their three suspects. They were suspected of running a drug ring on the island, and from how insistently they resisted arrest, the team was pretty sure they had the right guys.

Lane came into the main room after she'd helped Steve and Danny deposit their suspect in the interrogation room.

Kono looked up from the table as she came in. "We sent you after three guys, and you brought us back one?"

"One's in the hospital; one's in the morgue."

Chin smirked. "Steve got a hold of two of them, huh?"

"Uh, no." Lane didn't look either of them in the eye.

"Not you?" Kono said.

"Yeah." Lane rubbed the back of her right ankle with her other foot. "The one guy had a gun, and the other came at me with a 2x4."

"Where were Steve and Danny?" Chin asked.

"Steve was chasing the other guy, and Danny... wasn't as fast as me."

"You took two guys down all by yourself?" Kono said. "That's... impressive."

"That's what I keep hearing." Lane came forward and leaned the palms of her hands on the table. "So what did you find about these guys?"

Chin and Kono exchanged curious looks, but left the matter alone and filled Lane in on what they had discovered about the drug dealers. Lane skimmed the information, familiarizing herself with names and histories. She was good at remembering these things.

Everything seemed cut and dry, and she was actually getting a little bored with the pace of things around here. But things would be speeding up soon. Thinking of that, Lane excused herself to her office to make a call. When she knew Chin and Kono weren't looking, she pulled out her personal cell phone, and hit the first number on speed dial. It rang a couple of times before the answer came.

"Ahern's Auto Repair," came the chipper voice.

Lane smiled. "How are things, Mac?"

"Fine until I heard from you." There was a smile in his voice.

"Then I'm sorry you'll have such a terrible evening. Is everything set up?"

"Yeah. It's all good. Gonna take a while to... finish the process."

"I expected as much. Things around here are pretty quiet, so I shouldn't have any trouble slipping out once in a while. I'll meet you for dinner like we planned."

"Wear something nice. They like it when you try to impress."

"Oh, you know I will. So, how's the shop?"

"Dull, boring, easy. It'll be nice to get some action. It's been a while. You sure you're all right on your end? From what I've heard, those Five-0s are pretty tough."

"I think they're trying to be a little standoffish since their last governor-appointed member didn't turn out so well. They really don't ask too many personal questions."

"Well, be careful, Sis."

"I always am. See you later."

"Later."

Lane put her phone away and checked her watch. It wouldn't be long before her brother would be coming to pick her up, so she should get changed. She had left her dress clothes in the locker room that morning in anticipation of tonight's event.

When she came back to the main room, Lane was nearly unrecognizable in a tight-fitting black dress and heels. She wore her hair piled up on her head, along with a pair of diamond earrings and a necklace. It was a stark change from her usual t-shirt, khakis, and boots. Of course, Danny had to comment.

"Got a hot date tonight, Captain Awesome?"

"If you consider my brother a hot date. And I told you, it's—"

"Major, I know. It just doesn't have the same ring to it. So, why are you so dressed up for your brother?"

"Him and some of his friends. He thinks I'm getting bored. Wants to show me a good time or whatever."

Steve smirked. "Define good time."

"Unfortunately, not target practicing or anything involving hand-to-hand combat." Lane gave Danny a cheeky grin.

"I told you from the beginning." Danny looked at Steve. "We will all die. That's it." He threw up his hands.

Everyone fell silent when they heard someone clearing their throat from the doorway. Lane's eyes lit up, and she pulled her brother into the room.

"Guys, this is my brother, McNevan."

"Everyone calls me Mac," he said as he shook hands with the Five-0 group. He was quite a bit taller than his sister, almost as tall as Steve. But even in his finely tailored suit, it was clear that he was built small like she was.

"We've heard a lot about you." Steve smiled.

Mac gave his sister a mock horrified look. "Nothing too bad I hope."

"There might have been something about throwing apples over the neighbors' hedges," Danny said.

"Rotten apples." Mac put up his hands. "So they didn't do much damage when they hit the cars."

"Dad still grounded your ass for a month." Lane smirked.

"He thought I worked alone," Mac explained to the others.

Danny laughed. "And you didn't flip on her?"

"We had a system. We were a team, you know?"

"Yes." Steve nodded. "I never told on my sister."

"But you're older than her," Danny said. "My brother and sisters told on me all the time."

Kono huffed. "Try having a hundred cousins." She glared at Chin who only shrugged.

"Well, we have to get going," Lane said. "See you guys on Monday."

**H-5-O**

The restaurant Mac had chosen made Lane glad she always kept a little black dress on hand. They had driven his new Aston Martin, and the valet had a heavy French accent. Lane recalled that she did not like French food in the least, but she could fake it. She also recalled that Mac loved it.

They were seated immediately, but their company had not arrived yet. Mac ordered some fancy wine for them, and Lane pretended to be interested in the nonsensical artwork on the walls. She tapped one red-painted nail on the off-white table cloth.

"Nervous?" Mac's voice sounded amused.

"Hardly." Lane still didn't look at him. "Was this your choice or theirs?"

"Theirs. They tend to make the decisions around here." Mac unfolded his napkin and laid it across his lap.

"Happy coincidence for you then?"

"Yes, isn't it?"

"You get to put on your designer clothes and drive your fancy car to your stuck-up French restaurant; you're enjoying this far too much."

Mac smiled. "I love my work."

"So is it common for these people to be fashionably late?"

"They are very fashionable. Or think they are."

Just then, two men came into the restaurant and seemed to recognize Mac. They came over and greeted him before sitting down. Lane watched them with interest until they turned their attention to her. One of them was a Chinese American of diminutive stature, and the other was a lanky Irishman.

The Asian spoke first. "So this must be your sister, Miss Ahern. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He was smooth, confident. Lane could use that.

"My brother speaks so highly of his friends. But I haven't heard many names."

"You may call me Mr. Ling, and this is Mr. Callaghan."

"Wo Fat couldn't make it?"

A flash of discomfort crossed both the other men's faces. Mr. Ling recovered. "He has not been appearing publicly as of late. I'm sure you know why. However, you will be meeting him soon enough. Assuming tonight goes well."

Lane gave her best innocent smile. "Of course."

**H-5-O**

Steve stayed late finishing up the paperwork on the drug ring case. Once he was done, it would be in the hands of the prosecutors. Another successful bust. Somehow it didn't feel like such a huge accomplishment. Maybe Steve was still distracted with Wo Fat and Shelburne, though he made sure never to speak of it. It had been months since they'd even heard reports of the crime lord, much less anything substantial to go on. And with Joe out of the picture, Steve was left to wonder if he was expected to just forget about it.

That would not be happening any time soon. The talk of siblings earlier had reminded him of the danger Mary was in when she was on the island. He couldn't just accept that she would never be able to return to her home. So instead of closing things down for the day, he returned to his computer and began searching for any signs of Wo Fat.

He didn't realize how much time had passed when he heard a knock on his door. Startled, Steve sat up straight and closed out of the programs he had open. He relaxed when he saw that it was Lane, back from her evening with her brother.

"You're still here?" She looked amused.

"Yeah." Steve rubbed his eyes because they were beginning to hurt from staring at the computer screen for so long. "I didn't realize what time it was." He stood up and turned off his computer. "You have a good time?"

"It was... educational."

"That doesn't sound like fun."

"I like learning. Anyway, I left my stuff in the locker room and needed to pick up my car. I saw your light on, so..."

"I was catching up on some paperwork."

"From the huge cases we haven't had?"

Steve smiled. He'd been caught. "I was looking into some things. About an old case."

"About Wo Fat?" She wasn't supposed to know that.

Steve frowned. "What do you know about him?"

"Nothing." She sounded like she was lying. "I mean, only what the governor told me before I came here. I didn't want to say anything since it hadn't come up, but obviously it's important to you."

"Yes." Steve switched off the light in his office, and they went out into the main room.

"I'm sorry." Lane shuffled her feet. "I didn't mean to pry."

"You didn't." Steve's hands rested on his hips the way they did when he was uncomfortable with something. "I would have asked if I were you."

"Well, thanks I guess." Lane appeared to be thinking. "You wanna go get a drink or something? It's Friday, after all, and I'm thirsty."

"You didn't have enough fun with your brother's friends?" Steve smirked.

"They are very boring."

"I thought you said 'educational'?"

"Educational as to how boring they are. It was a revealing observation of human behavior. Not so much fun in the traditional sense."

Steve grinned. "Then I'll just have to show you what real fun looks like on this island."

"Here." Lane tossed Steve her keys. "Bring my car around, and I'll get changed."

As he watched her go, Steve didn't say that he would rather she stayed in the little black dress.


	3. What Real Fun Looks Like

**Thanks to all my reviewers and my beta reader for the cheeseburgers. :D  
**

**Chapter Two "What Real Fun Looks Like"**

Lane was only half focused on work. She was supposed to be gathering intel, planning her next move, and keeping a tight control on all of her personal interactions. Steve was some sort of exception she didn't know existed. He was disarming.

That was a bad thing, but Lane hadn't yet decided how to deal with it. She probably knew that getting closer to him wasn't a good idea, but at the moment, it seemed like the thing to do. She wouldn't admit to herself that she had invited him out more for his benefit than hers. He seemed stressed. She could help.

When she left the 'Iolani Palace to find Steve waiting in the driver's seat of her car, Lane thought he looked quite at home there. She realized that she had left her hair up and her earrings in as she slid into the passenger side.

"Where we headed, Boss?" she asked with a smile.

Steve pulled out onto the main road and accelerated more quickly than he probably should have. "What sounds good?" he asked.

"You know, I really don't like French food, so I could go for a cheeseburger."

"Your brother took you to a French restaurant?"

"Yes. He's a snob, and I'm hungry."

"You got it. I know just the place."

Steve drove Lane to a tiny hole in the wall on a backstreet she would never have found on her own. It didn't look like much, and Lane was more than skeptical. Steve seemed to anticipate her protest before it came.

"Trust me," he said. "You want a good burger, this is the place."

"Fine." Lane reached for the door handle. "But if I get mugged, I'm telling my brother on you, and you do not want to be on the wrong side of the man who could kill you seven different ways with a socket wrench."

"He sounds like a joy." Steve smirked, getting out of the car. "Does he spend his free time thinking up ways to kill people?"

Lane closed the car door and rested her elbow on the roof. "No. He just thought it was important to know how to use the tools with which he surrounds himself."

"Rather than using a socket wrench for... blots?

"Oh, he does that too. When he was fourteen, he dismantled an entire Honda Civic in our garage. Our neighbor wrecked it and sold it to him for a hundred bucks. He rebuilt it by the time he got his license. Actually, I think that's why he knows how to kill people with wrenches."

"I should have him come look at my dad's old car... when he's in a good mood."

Lane smiled and followed Steve toward the door of the "restaurant." "He's usually in a good mood."

Steve held the door open for her. "So as long as I don't get you mugged, he might come over?"

"Yeah, I think he'd be interested." Lane was glad Steve didn't see the look in her eyes as she said that. It might have been too much excitement or maybe a little dread. This was going better than she planned, and she wasn't even trying that hard.

**H-5-O**

Steve wasn't sure how he ended up here in a dark corner of a somewhat questionable establishment with a woman who was becoming more and more intriguing. First she'd suggested drinks, which he was all for. Then, of all things, she wanted a cheeseburger, which wasn't that unusual, but a girl who wanted a cheeseburger after going to a fancy French dinner was interesting to say the least. And her brother was into cars.

Steve didn't really have a problem with their current situation, but he hoped no one would get the wrong idea. He hadn't planned on getting this close to a coworker he didn't choose. But Lane was different. She was like him.

Maybe that was dangerous, and Steve would be as cautious as he always was, but it wasn't as if he had any reason not to spend time with Lane. If she was doing her job right, she would keep appropriate distance. If she wasn't, that was not Steve's problem.

As they enjoyed their late dinner, the two of them talked more about family and the things they used to do as teenagers. Steve usually tried to avoid thinking about that time in his life. He found it easier to focus on the present, but the way Lane talked about her brother made him want to remember the fun he used to have before things got bad. He did notice that she hardly mentioned her parents though. It was as if Lane and Mac had grown up on their own.

Steve told himself not to ask, but apparently he wasn't listening. "So, what did your parents do?" It was a simple enough question.

Lane didn't exactly hesitate, but the flow Steve noticed in her speech pattern seemed to dissipate. "My dad was a detective," she said. "Then he retired."

Steve nodded. "Mine too. I had already left when he retired though."

"Sounds like he didn't really."

Steve frowned. "Where did you hear that?"

"I've read about it. And there was some talk of the interweaving cases when I met with the governor the first time."

"Speaking of your boss..."

"Oh, yeah. He is my boss."

"I don't think forgetting that is a good way to keep your job."

"I know that. I've been following orders, just like I'm supposed to, turning in reports and all that."

"No issues yet?"

"Yet? You mean there will inevitably be issues?"

"Your position would be redundant otherwise."

"You can't just play nice, can you?"

"Not when lives are at stake."

"Of course. I wouldn't ignore any misbehavior, but I doubt if I would emphasize it, unless I thought it was really bad. I think I'll stick to the facts and let them speak for themselves."

"I probably shouldn't be talking to you about it. The governor might accuse me of trying to influence you."

"I consider the whole situation strange." Lane stabbed a french fry with her fork. "From what I've seen, Five-0 runs pretty smoothly. Why does he even need me?"

"When I first met Governor Denning, I was a recently exonerated fugitive. He made me promise to keep things under control. I proceeded to release a criminal to use as bait for Wo Fat, which didn't work, and then the governor gave us Officer Weston."

"Which didn't work out either?"

"Not particularly."

"Because...?"

Steve didn't really want to answer that question. The whole situation was awkward, and he would prefer to forget about it. "I think she was trying to make everyone happy. At the expense of actually doing her job."

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not a people pleaser then."

"Aren't you?" Steve leaned back against the seat.

"I may come off that way, but fundamentally, no. I'll go to a French restaurant to make someone happy, but proceed to eat a cheeseburger afterward." She gestured at her nearly empty plate. "Which was delicious, by the way. Reminds me of a place my dad used to take us in Anacortes. We had to take a ferry to get anywhere from Lopez Island, but it was kind of fun."

"Sounds like you enjoyed living there."

"Living on an island is like... being in a story. Maybe that's why my brother chose to live here. It's a lot different, though."

"I can imagine. Did he just up and move here, or did he have a reason?"

"He didn't need a reason. I was in the Army, and he was stuck at home. I guess he just needed to get away. What better place, right?"

Steve smiled. "Yeah. Makes me wonder how I stayed away so long. There were times I could have been here, but I didn't want to see my dad, so I stayed in Coronado or wherever I happened to be at the time."

"Well, I can understand that. I loved Washington, but I don't think I'll ever go back."

"You might be surprised. I don't think life ever turns out the way we plan, no matter how sure we are that we know exactly what we're doing."

Lane sat back in her seat and blinked slowly. "You're talkative tonight."

Steve noticed how she changed the subject away from herself and back to him. "Danny rubs off on me," he said. "And he thinks I'm a bad influence on you."

"How's that?"

"Today's little take down might have had something to do with it."

"I only did what was necessary, and I certainly didn't learn it from you."

"That's what I keep telling him. I think he knows it; he just likes hearing himself talk."

Lane nodded. "It's comforting to some people." She didn't elaborate, but Steve got the feeling someone she knew had been like that. Someone who wasn't around anymore.

"Must be," Steve replied. "But you don't mind it too much?"

Lane smiled curiously. "Why would I mind?"

"Some people are put off by Danny's... Danny."

"Ah, well, I've been surrounded by men of all kinds my whole life. He's not so bad. There was this guy in my unit in Iraq who literally could not keep his mouth shut to save his life. I think he's a city councilman now or something like that."

Steve laughed. He suddenly imagined Danny as a politician, and it somehow made perfect sense. "Sounds like you enjoyed being in the Army." Steve tried to direct the conversation back to Lane's history.

She nodded. "It was a good place for me. I fit there. But I think I fit here, too."

"You do. I think I'd like it better if you worked for me."

"I think you'd like it better if _you_ didn't work for anyone."

Steve shook his head. "That's not true. There would be nothing worthwhile to do if I did it all for myself. No, I like things the way they are."

Lane nodded, staring off away from the table. In her line of sight was a long bar full of noisy patrons along with other booths like the one in which they sat. The dim lighting disguised the grimy floor and dirty windows. Steve watched her eyes. She didn't seem to be focusing on anything in particular until she broke her gaze and looked back at Steve.

"That guy's about to get into a fight," she said.

Steve resisted the urge to turn around and see what she meant. "What guy?" he asked calmly.

"There's a man two from the far end of the bar. He's been drinking steadily ever since we came in here, and he's getting more and more agitated. He's arguing with the man next to him. I don't think they know each other."

Steve could hear the voices behind him getting louder, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. "Think we should do something?"

"I'm thinking." Lane was silent for a moment. "I think he has a weapon under his jacket."

"That's not a problem."

"It might be for bystanders if he gets mad enough."

"So what do you think we should do?"

"I have an idea. Just follow me like we're headed toward the restrooms."

"Okay. What are you going to do?"

"Just follow me. Act like you're trying to ignore him."

Steve nodded and got up with Lane. He left some money on the table for their dinner and they headed down the narrow walkway between the bar on their left and the tables on their right. Lane took the lead, walking closer to the bar than the tables. Steve could see what she was planning to do before she did it, and he didn't think it was such a good idea.

"Oh, sorry!" she said as she ran too hard into the man, spilling his drink down his shirt, and forcing him to face toward the walkway.

"Watch where you're going, bitch," he grumbled loudly.

Steve realized this was his cue to step in. He still didn't like the way things were going, but he couldn't very well let someone insult Lane and get away with it could he? At least that would be his story later.

"Mind your manners," Steve said in mock politeness. "She said she was sorry."

The man didn't respond but reached into his jacket and pulled out a revolver. People started to take notice when Steve bent the man's arm over the bar, causing the gun to fall to the floor behind it. But that wasn't anywhere close to the end of the matter. The man pushed back, and he was stronger than he looked. And more in control of himself than his behavior indicated. He pulled Steve off with his left hand and shoved him into the partition between two booths across the walkway. He got a few hits in before Steve managed to return the favor.

The two of them were now standing across the narrow strip of red carpet. Steve tasted blood, and his vision seemed hazy in his right eye. The man lunged at him again, but Lane planted her foot in front of his, causing him to faceplant at Steve's feet. Lane moved her foot to the back of the man's neck and looked up at Steve.

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind," she said with a smirk.

Steve held up one finger. "Next time you're on point." He turned to the bartender who was staring along with the rest of the building. "Five-0."

That answered everything.


End file.
